Woman Sentenced to Prison for Armed Drug Dealing

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Hampton woman was sentenced today to over seven years in prison for possessing cocaine for distribution while possessing a firearm.

According to court documents, Marquita Meredith, 37, was convicted for distributing cocaine from her residence in Hampton. Meredith, who is the mother of seven children, was pregnant during the drug conspiracy and had children in her residence during drug sales in 2018 and 2019. In January 2019, officers recovered over an ounce of cocaine from Meredith’s residence. Children were at the home at the time of the search warrant. Prior to the drug sales and search warrant, Meredith possessed over half an ounce of cocaine and a firearm during a November 2017 traffic stop in Newport News.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Martin Culbreth, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy E. Cross prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:19-cr-061.